


who am i to you?

by orphan_account



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: F/M, and crying inside their car when it goes wrong, fluff galore tho, just teens flirting at the carnival, this is unedited pls dont roast, w like two seconds of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:00:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22707361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: ricky asks gina to the fair, but neither of them knows it's a date. feelings are spilled and ricky still doesn't know gina's name???for the valentines day gift exchange xoxo
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	who am i to you?

**Author's Note:**

> hey! this was written for zay for the vdge, but i'm putting it on here because this tag lowkey empty. i hope that this lil oneshot is very fluffy and written okay! i'm new to writing and VERY new to writing dialogue lmaoo

Gina's sure her heart is going to beat out of her chest from the pure adrenaline racing through her system. It's dumb, she knows, they haven't even done anything yet.

_Ping!_

"Who's that, now?" Ricky laughs out, he sounds kind of jealous, but like, Gina's probably being a little too generous for her made-up love life. "Someone's been pretty popular tonight."

"Don't be silly! It's no one really-"

"So a ghost has been texting you?"

"Shut up! You know what I mean," she giggles and sticks out her tongue for good measure, "just let me say one last thing and then tonight, I am all yours." Should she wink? Would that be suave and flirty or just come off as weird and desperate. But maybe Ricky likes weird and desperate?

Fuck it.

She winks and Ricky just raises his eyebrow at her, "Winking usually comes right after you say something, not thirty seconds." He has that stupid small smile on his face he gets when she always does something lame and it makes her heart pound even more.

"Oh, well you know me…" She tilts her head down a little to hide the blush darkening her skin that she knows damn well isn't from the cold. The sound of Ricky's laugh making her heart race, even more, God, the boy could breathe next to her and she'd feel like she'd run a marathon.

She knows she being ridiculous, she knows that nothing is going on between them, and she knows that people go to the fair all the time as friends. Like hell, they ran into Nini and Kourtney just 20 minutes ago and they were calling tonight part of their never-ending saga of a girls night on the town.

At least that's what she thinks they said? How could Gina know? Ricky had put his arm across her shoulders during Kourtney's passionate monologue about tearing down the normalized standards of… something and all she could do was focus on the interested, yet lowkey scared, expressions that were flitting across his face.

But don’t mind that, they were here as friends and she was doing her best not to make it weird.

"So," Gina's eyes snap up to his, her phone still hanging useless in her hands with an unread message.

"I should probably answer them, yeah?"

"As much as I like you staring at me, it does seem like the right thing to do," he smiles at her, his dimples of full display--

"Don't flatter yourself!"

She lifts one finger to signal one minute and walks off a few feet away from him to open her and Ash's message thread. She usually doesn't care all that much about texting out in the open where people can see what she's saying, but she's talking about Ricky and she'd die if he knew she was waxing poetic about his smile to their fellow friend.

_> >ashhhhhhhh_

**_> ginaaaaa_ **

**_> wait, girl, aren't you supposed to be on a date with mister handsome ;)_ **

**_> first I did not call him that_ **

She has. Many times. The mysterious, hardcore, fuck feelings Gina from the sophomore year is currently rolling in her grave.

**_> you did, but go on._ **

_> >and also it's NOT A DATE!!!!_

_> >he would never go for me lmaooo sure he only sees me as his platonic friend he goes to when he needs someone who really gets him_

_> >not to brag,, but it's our thing ig :p_

**_> you're so stupid I stg_ **

_> >hey!_

**_> gina, I need you to listen to me bc im tired. I've only known you for a year and a half,, but I STILL don't think you know that you deserve good things_ **

**_> sure, coming clean about the whole phone ordeal set you back w ricky and everyone, but we're over that and we love you sm_ **

**_> but most of all ricky loves you, please we all see the way he lingers after class just to walk with you!! Something he can easily do all by himself! Ur one of his favorite people and I know damn well u feel the same for him._ **

**_> you're good for each other, what's the harm in that?_ **

_> >ash!!! Stop your're gonna make me cry and then im gonna look ugly with all this mascara running down my face_

_> >but like,, no one even said it was a date. How would I know???_

**_> ……._ **

**_> say sike_ **

**_> this man asked wyd this Friday and it's literally VALENTINE'S DAY_ **

**_> VALENTINE'S DAY GINAA_ **

**_> and you're telling me you're wearing a red sweater dress with the cute ribbing going all the way down it in the middle of february OUTSIDE for a "hangout"?_ **

**_> I gotta go, now enjoy your DATE._ **

Gina lets out a small huff that catches Ricky's attention, but shaking her head, she goes up to him with a set look of determination on her face.

She deserves good things.

She does.

Ricky is a good thing and he also deserves good things.

For some reason he finds her to be a good thing for him.

What's the harm in that?

"So, Richard Bowen," she pauses for dramatic effect and watches him lean in closer to play along, "Are you ready for the best night of your life?"

\------

The night goes by smoothly. It's filled with anything a girl could ever dream of-- laughing at inside jokes and creating ones they'll forget the meaning to in a few years, the way Ricky's laugh leaves a warm feeling in her stomach, eating way too much cotton candy, Ricky's cologne, stopping and talking to people they know, his hand brushing hers, and singing along to the songs that blare out of the speakers situated around the fair.

They've gotten quite a few looks during the more passionate duets and even some applause after a suspiciously heartfelt rendition of "The Start Of Something New". It's fun, singing ridiculous love songs with Ricky and pretending that's not how she truly felt as they swung around light poles together.

"Do you think we're being a little annoying?" Gina laughs and spins backward, facing Ricky with the smile of a thousand suns. She continues walking while Ricky helps her avoid running into things (or people).

"Nah, if anything, they're feeling blessed to see the start of Gina Porter," he grins back, all teeth with no remorse for Gina's stuttering heart. As much as her heart wants to stop, she can't bring herself to let the conversation end there, they've been at this back and forth thing all night and she can't get enough.

"Oh, do go on."

"Yeah?" Ricky hums to her before giving the guy at the door two tickets to get into The House Of Mirrors. "You're giving them a free concert and you're worth more than that."

Humming before following him in she turns to him, "Sounds a little bit like an exaggeration to me, suck up." Ricky hits her with an "oh really?" face before putting his hands on her bare shoulders.

How are his hands so warm?

"They're sitting there minding their own business and boom! Regina--"

"Not my name!" She gives a slight shove before taking off into the forest of mirrors, the only evidence that the girl was ever beside him is the lingering smell of her leave-in conditioner.

"Maybe if you told me your name, Giovanna," he ignores the responding giggle at the guess, "I wouldn't have to look up "baby g names for girls" every time before hanging out with you!"

"When he does research for you, heart eyes."

"Shh!" a groan fills the air, "Now where did you even go?"

Gina can see the tail end of his signature denim jacket twirl around with his body, from the mirror she's hiding behind, as he turns to look for her.

"The echo in here is crazy, it sounds like a thousand of me are talking right now," she continues to walk around, careful to not be seen by him. Quick to cover her mouth to smother the sound of her laugh at the sight of him squinting at his refection.

"Funny, in a literal house of mirrors I can't even see one of you though."

"Weren't you just going on and on about my voice? Now what am I to do about this information," a teasing lilt takes over her voice as she taps her chin. She sees him start to walk around faster to cover more ground, but she keeps her footsteps light and quick as the dancer she is.

"What information? That'd I would much rather be seeing a thousand of you right now?"

"Hmm, more like you see me as just a pretty face."

The responding silence makes her stomach churn as all of her organs are cringing at what just came out of her mouth. He's not gonna call her ugly, is he? Should she say something to fill the silence?

Worrying so much about what she said, she rams straight into him and topples them over onto the ground.

"Oof!"

"Maybe we should do something else." She can't help but blurt out.

\--

They decide to share a hotdog and pose for their respective snapchat stories and Gina steadily ignores all the suggestive messages hyping her up.

She lets Ricky have most of the hotdog though because her stomach hasn't stopped churning from earlier. No one's brought it up yet and she's not sure if she even wants to; it's absolutely stupid, but she had kind of wanted Ricky to call her pretty. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that she looked good tonight and had actually put in a little thought this evening.

Nini had told her what he likes and she'd tried her best to give her spin on it tonight, so they could actually get somewhere. Instead, she's sitting here shivering at a carnival - that she had no idea why it was run in February - watching the boy of her dreams attempting to avoid getting mustard on his shoe.

It takes an embarrassing amount of strength to hold her sigh in.

Gina Porter didn't really let herself want things anymore, naturally she was a dreamer, she always wanted a little too much and got even less than what she had begun with. It's not as hidden as she would like it to be, but she spent most of her days just staring off into space and imagining things that could never happen. Visions of a life that could never be hers were her way of getting through the day and looking forward to the next.

Being a spacey bitch was her basic survival instinct and somehow that's changed since she moved to Salt Lake City. Now she wanted to dream and have realistic goals that were a touch too ambitious. She wanted to actually form relationships that would last forever and lastly, she needed to stop--

"So," he interrupts her thoughts with a voice just above a whisper, "I was wondering if you'd like to go on the ferris wheel with me?" She sees his hands fly to his pockets to mask how hard they're shaking and her chest starts to hurt. He's got this look in his stupid doe eyes that are begging her to say yes along with the teeth scraping against his bottom lip.

And in another life, hell, an hour ago she would've said yes, but she can't. Movies had always told her that that is a thing you do on a date and he's shown her that this isn't a date. He didn't compliment how she looked tonight, he never actually held her hand for more than 30 seconds, and he never gave her his jacket even though she's obviously freezing her ass off. "That sounds more like a date thing, to me," she can't help but bite out.

If she averts her gaze the entire time she says it to avoid watching his face fall, that her business and her business only.

"Oh."

"Yeah." Please say something, Ricky.

"Should I take you home?" It feels like a smack in the face and all she can feel is a sharp burning sensation taking over her entire body. Her face flushes from the anger, no-- the disappointment of how the end of the night is going. The carnival isn't closing for another two hours and she thought they'd at least get to stay to see the illegal fireworks show they apparently do every year.

"Actually, I think I'll walk home…"

"Please, let me take you home," his hand reaches out to touch her, but he thinks better than to touch her and leaves it awkwardly hanging out in the air. "We don't even need to talk and it'll cut your trip back like 30 minutes. C'mon."

She's upset, but she knows he's right. Nodding and swiping his offering hand away, she stands up by herself and races off towards his orange buggy.

\--

After the most awkward goodbye with Ricky she sneaks into her bedroom to avoid answering Ashlyn's questions. There's no way the girl would know, but Gina knew that she would start crying the second Ash opened her mouth.

She quickly strips out of her dress and puts on a sweatshirt and sweats to warm herself up, because surprise surprise, Ricky's heater stopped working at the beginning of their trip and she's still cold. It's funny, it's like God himself is also telling her to lower her just raised expectations.

_Ping!_

Sniffling as she picks up her phone, her heart races at the sight of Ricky's name on the screen.

Did she forget something in his car? Why the hell did he still wanna talk to her, haven't they done enough talking for the month? Is he also telling her to lower her expectations?

**> hey, can you come outside real quick? You forgot something.**

>>can't you give it to me at school Monday or smth

**> no.**

Scoffing to no one in particular, she roughly tugs on some slippers and heads on outside to see Ricky leaning against his car.

Even seeing him makes her want to puke, her body cannot stop shaking because of her nerves being so on edge from tonight.

"Hey," his voice is rough like he's trying to keep it contained, but her mind is racing and the veins in her arms feel like someone's holding a heated iron to them.

"What did I forg--"

"I!" Gina rolls her eyes at the interruption and silently wills him to get her second rejection over with.

"You what, Ricky? You don't like me? It's not that hard to say, I just said it!" She involuntarily exclaims, she sees his gaze flicker to how hard her hands are shaking at her sides, but she's not a coward. She can wear her feelings out in the open and right now there's enough feeling to power the entire world for the next ten years.

"I just… I didn't want to mess this up tonight, you know? But somehow making sure everything was going okay I think I forgot to actually say anything?"

"Huh?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I do like you, so much Gina and you looked so pretty tonight-- that dress was spectacular, I mean! Wow! And--"

"Please, Ricky, I get it," her hand is raising towards the door to go back inside. She knows that he's allowed to have feelings too, but she's still new at this and no one ever said it would hurt this much. All she wants to do is sit down and scream out the smoke that's raging from the fire burning inside.

"No!" Ricky hurries over to grasp her wrist in a firm hold, _"Gina I like you, like you_ ," he laughs quietly to himself. "God, that sounded so elementary school."

"You're not wrong," she lets out. It's obvious he was expecting her to say more from the way his movements falter, but she's trying and that's what matters.

"I just needed to let you know that I like you a lot and I really thought this was a date tonight. I guess… I guess I didn't want you going to bed thinking that this was just some hangout as "friends" because I want way more with you and I pulled some of my best moves out there." Gina raises a finger to stop his ramble before he embarrasses himself even more. No matter how much she's kind of enjoying it.

"Those were your best moves?" She jokes to lighten the air, the tension is still so thick you could cut it with a knife, but he's trying and he's always been her blind spot.

"Shut up!" He answers with a smile and moves his hand to hold hers. "But the entire night, I was flirting with you. Please say that I wasn't crazy and that you were giving back just as much as I gave."

"I think it's arguable that I was giving out even more than you gave, but yeah."

"So, Giselle--"

"No."

"Georgina?"

"Uh-Uh"

"Graciela?"

"Nada."

"Goldie?"

"You're not even trying anymore."

"Wait, lemme get out my phone."

"Ricky?"

"Yeah, Greta?"

"Just ask the damn question, please."

"Now that we know that this is a date, would you do the honors of riding the ferris wheel with me?"

"That is not the question I meant, but yes, I'll ride the ferris wheel with you, Dick Bowen."

And yeah, maybe Gina was a bit of a dreamer with unrealistically high expectations, but maybe dreams do come true sometimes… in their own way of course. 

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: canweorderpizzo twitter: dancingwylie 
> 
> happy valentine's day!! lmk if this was ass or not


End file.
